[OPEN] That which makes you different...

[madame_de_fer]

WHO: Vivienne and OPEN
WHAT: Catchall for November, including Mage Liason availability, prospective clothing choices for the Winter Palace, Knight-Enchanter training, and etiquette lessons
WHEN: Start of the month, leading up to Winter Palace event
WHERE: Skyhold
NOTES: Open to all, if there's something not listed here you'd like to do, lemme know or dive on in.

[Balcony]
So much is happening now and in the weeks to come. As always, Vivienne is installed at her balcony, holding court in a sense. Most days, her attention is given wholly to the business of meeting and working with the mages in the Inquisition in all their varied backgrounds and philosophies. No matter how petty, or grave, their concerns, she listens to them with undivided attention. Uncouth behavior will earn them a displeased stare, but those instances are few.

There is, however, an addition to her balcony in the form of a favored tailor. The Inquisition will be present at the Winter Palace for peace talks, as security and support. But they absolutely cannot show up at the Empress' home in Halamshiral looking like scruffy ragamuffins. The Iron Lady is pleased to offer advice, and the services of the tailor, to assure that a good and respectable impression is offered and maintained. Both in fashion and in manners.

[Courtyard]
Mentoring the young mages is just as important to Madame de Fer as is being available to the adults in their number. In truth, she finds the proper care and education of the apprentices and novices to be just as crucial as putting forth the proper foot when mingling with the nobility. As she has reminded others, there is nothing so dangerous to a young mage as a lack of knowledge. Vivienne has no intention to be thought of as negligent when it comes to the training the children. And privately? She enjoys it.

The First Enchanter stands in the center of a gaggle of youngsters, delivering a lecture on staff creation by apprentices. It's a skill they should all acquire and practice as it will serve them all their lives. The lesson is going less than ideal, however, as random outbursts of giggling break out when some apprentice thinks she's not paying attention. The source of their glee appears to be a copy of Thunderstorms In Your Room! being passed around with only middling sneakiness.

[Chapel]
Typically Vivienne keeps her personal devotions both personal and private. There is, naturally, a small icon of Andraste which she's had added to her balcony, but beyond that, she makes no grand showing of her faith. Some cynics could argue she expresses it in her adamant support of the Circles and their place under the care of the Chantry. (They wouldn't be wrong.)

But today is something of an outlier. In the early hours of the morning, she breezes into the chapel, as if strolling into the summer breakfast room at Bastien's estate. On entering, she crosses her heart and then lowers her head to recite the Chant. Only someone who frequents the sacred space regularly might realize how unusual an event this is. Has she turned more devout or is there something pressing on her heart? And does she even have a heart?

Comments

[madame_de_fer]

Too late. At least three of the youngest apprentices have spotted the mabari and are doing their best to wiggle away to admire him. Without being caught out sneaking away. But oh how their small hands itch to pet him. Vivienne sees them and rather than being annoyed, finds it amusing. She remembers what it was like to be a young child in the Circle and the delights that came from a break in the every day routine.

She motions to Inessa to join them, as it would do the children good to have another Circle-trained mage present to encourage them. The Iron Lady is always on the lookout for potential mentors for the youngest of their number, as the old methods of instruction have fallen to the wayside in light of the war and now this Corypheus crisis. Of any of them to have suffered the ramifications of this rebellion, it's the youngest and most vulnerable among them, and that is what infuriates Vivienne the most. This ridiculous bid for freedom didn't give a fig for what it would mean for young mages.

Lectures on staff construction are clearly hopeless for the rest of the day, between the book and the dog, so she attempts as redirection of their attention. "Tell me, Warden, which was your favorite activity from the book the apprentices are sharing today? I do believe mine was on page 51: keeping a wisp in a jar to read under the covers after curfew."

All eyes turn from Inessa to Vivienne, going wide that they have been caught and that their intimidating instructor used to read the same book.

[circleprodigy]

Seeing that it's a futile effort, Inessa releases Garahel with a small sigh. Naturally, he's drawn to the young trio, wagging his tail and all sorts of hopeful for petting or even treats. He'll even make it easy for them by flopping on the ground and exposing his belly that clearly needs rubbing. Shameless.

Inessa's smile is initially apologetic but she soon chuckles, as nostalgia takes her back. "That was actually one of my favorites as well. As soon as I learned how, I read everything I could possibly get my hands on in the Circle library that wasn't locked away. Naturally, curfew was simply a reason to be more stealthy about it, not to cease entirely." And yes, she could regurgitate it all back when questioned, because she's a nerd with an eidetic memory.

[madame_de_fer]

All eyes swing back to Inessa and several mouths round into impressed O's. Of course, the trio of youngesters fascinated with the mabari have already checked out and are bestowing the best belly rubs a dog could ever hope for. And if anyone's surprised the Vivienne is endorsing breaking the rules, they shouldn't be. She's always been one for bending them to her own benefit. That and if she can encourage their youngest members to grasp hold of the great importance of learning as much as they can, so much the better.

However, as a minor caution should be issued...

"My dear friend Lydia's favorite was how to use fire to make a late night snack. Until she accidentally set her hair alight attempting to make toast without getting caught."

If Inessa is paying close attention, she might catch there is the faint hint of sadness in Vivienne's eyes at the mention of Lydia, but it's brief and missed entirely by the children and tweenagers.

[circleprodigy]

Knowing that Garahel will soon become a mabari-shaped puddle on the ground, Inessa leaves him be and nods, her demeanor growing more solemn at the justifiable mention of magic backfiring. Children can learn to toe the line, but they can also learn to be sensible while doing so. The hint of sadness is noted, but she knows better than to pry for information in front of students.

"A classmate of mine had a similar mishap with a fire-based glyph, though instead of hair they wound up setting a pair of curtains alight in the process and almost a bookshelf right next to it. Our teachers were understandably not supportive of this endeavor, especially since it was not an isolated incident." She sighs, having so many stories regarding the mishaps of her foolish, unlucky friend who never seemed to understand the concept of not making more problems for himself. "I encouraged one of the less destructive diversions, involving the use wisps for a game of tag."

[madame_de_fer]

A fresh breath of giggles and excitement breaks out at the mention of tag. The holder of the cherished book starts flipping through the pages and crows: I found it!

And just like that, any vestiges of Vivienne retaining control over the lesson evaporates in the wind. Sadly the caution about mishaps goes mostly unheard as the whole group latches onto the notion of a game of tag.

Without a word of reproach, Madame de Fer shakes her head at the children, then conjures a wisp for the express purpose of letting them all chase it. The only warning she even bothers as they spring to their feet is, "Do not trample one another. I want to see none of you in the healing tents later." Children scatter in every direction as the wisp flits just out of their reach.

She shoots Inessa a wry look, but her tone is light and not at all serious, "I would hold you responsible for that but they were too far gone already. They could use some levity, I feel. My thanks, Warden."

[circleprodigy]

Inessa chuckles quietly, watching the children enjoy themselves with wisp-tag. Garahel gets into it as well, happy to be chasing a ball of light and helping the smaller children reach it. As her gaze slides back to Vivienne, she smiles.

"And you have mine, for bringing up fond memories of that book. I hadn't spared a thought for it in far too long, but you're right. They should have a chance for some levity in their lives. Maker knows there aren't many chances for it, especially now."